Monday, March 1, 2010

No furniture, papery craftiness around here this week. But, I did decide to do something that I have never done...cupcakes from scratch! Still fighting off colds and working to keep entertained on these cold winter days, we decided to do some baking. Great winter activity...indoor, takes some time, warms the house and fills your belly.

I'm not much of a baker, so when it's time to make a cake or cupcakes for a birthday, I reach for the nearest box of Betty Crocker mix and have it in the oven in 2 minutes flat. But, my friend Becky over at Project Domestication put it into my mind a while ago that I should really try making them myself. Out of anyone I know, I trust Becky's opinion on cupcakes (she also runs the blog Utah Loves Cupcakes) and she says that this recipe from Magnolia's Bakery in NYC is the best for vanilla-vanilla. So, this is the recipe I used.

A few things to think about if you're planning on taking this on yourself....the recipe asks for room temperature eggs and softened butter...things that require a little time before hand. Also, two kinds of flour (which I didn't use...shhh....I don't know if that's a big no no).

Here are my thoughts...

1. The batter for this is Delicious! I know, I know....raw eggs....and all that. I love me some dough.

2. It didn't take a ton of time. I was even able to keep my 3 year old interested until the end.

3. The biggest difference to me was that these were much more Moist! Yumm! Really...I'm not much of a cake lover, but these cupcakes were pretty dang good. Can you tell how moist these are from this picture?

4. The frosting will take some experience, I think. I really had no idea what the right consistancy was. Really. It was still delicious, but didn't look anything like the picture on Becky's blog. Check it out.... Ha ha.

If you're in the mood for something delicious....put down your paint brush and head to the kitchen. Happy Cupcake making!

Those are my favorite! It's good to know that they work out with regular flour- I always go buy the self-rising when I "need" to make them! We have a cupcake and lemonade stand for St. Patricks day every year and I make them green.